Seines are often used to catch aquatic wild life such as crayfish, bullheads, minnows, hellgrammites, crustacea, and other live baits. There are several types of seines that are currently used. For example, one type of seine has two handles, one on either side of the net. The seine requires two people to operate. Each person grabs a handle and then drag the seine through the water.
Another type of seine is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,403, which discloses a net for scooping up fish. The net has jaws with teeth at the open end. The jaws clamp down on any fish that enters the net in order to prevent escape. This type of seine has a disadvantage because the person must first find a fish and then try to scoop it up. This task is difficult given the quickness of fish in their natural habitat. The net is also limited because it can only catch one, or a small number, of fish at any one time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,798 to Hesch discloses a seine that requires a person to dig the bottom edge of the seine into a stream bed. The user then has to pull the seine through the water so that the bottom edge drags along the bed.
A purse-type seine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,214. The device in this patent is similar to a large, rectangular fish net. In operation, the user places the net in front of him/her and pushes the net through the water.
A common problem with the seines described above is that dragging or pushing them against the water current requires a great deal of strength and is especially difficult if the current is strong. Additionally, fish and other aquatic wildlife are easily startled by noise and the presence of people in the water. Thus, the aquatic wildlife will be scared away from the seine while people are moving it through the water.
Another common problem with the current seines is that only the opening of the net is supported by a frame. As a result, the operator cannot simply turn the seine on its side to empty the catch because the net would collapse. Rather, the person must use his/her hands in order to remove the catch. An unsupported net is also difficult to clean. The user cannot simply place the seine back into the stream of water with the opening of the seine facing downstream because the net would collapse.
Therefore, there is a need for a seine that a single person can easily operate. There is also a need for a seine in which the net does not easily collapse.